I shall see him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not nigh There cometh a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and he shall cut in pieces the corners of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult.
Balaam came to curse Israel, but standing over their camp he described a Person still far off — a Star out of Jacob, a Sceptre out of Israel. Three questions follow: who is this coming One, when does He come, and why did the man who saw Him gain nothing?
The whole scene is a failed attack. One writer sets the two wills side by side:
Never was Satan more determined to curse; never was God more determined to bless! Satan never had a more willing servant. And no man was ever more powerless than Balaam once the Almighty took hold of him!
What came out instead reached far beyond the moment on the hilltop:
So the curse Balaam intended became the most magnificent statement of blessing ever pronounced on the people of God. It reaches down to the last days, when Israel will be exalted under the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth.
The Star and the Sceptre are not decoration. Each carries its own idea:
The star is for watchers. We must be up early in the morning if we wish to see the early star. The sceptre speaks of authority and rule.
Another writer names each one in a word: "The Star speaks of hope, and the Sceptre speaks of rule and government. Where is our hope? We answer, In the Lord Jesus Christ" (F. B. Hole).
Balaam's earlier speeches looked at the whole nation. This one narrows to one Person:
We recall his first parable. From the top of the rocks he said in the same way, "I see him and from the hills I behold him." There it was the nation; here it is a person — the King of Israel whose shout he had heard before among the wonderful people. The description of this coming King is glorious. He sees Him first as a star coming out of Jacob. Then he calls Him a sceptre risen out of Israel, striking through the sides of Moab and turning all the sons of tumult against each other.
Commentators differ over how much of this has already happened. One writer sees it fulfilled twice — once in David, and once still to come: "As a fulfilled prophecy, this star is David; and, as a prophecy yet to be fulfilled, this star is Christ, David's Son" (H. L. Rossier). Others place the whole weight in the future. Gaebelein calls it "a very pronounced Messianic prophecy relating to the time when the kingdom is to be restored to Israel." He says many teachers have made a mistake by applying it to Christ's first coming. Kelly, weighing nation after nation, reaches the same conclusion:
So it does not matter whether the powers are western or eastern. It does not matter whether the enemies are many or few, what resources they have, or where they come from… It is the day of Immanuel, not of David or the Maccabees.
Some read the phrase "sons of Sheth" as a description rather than a family line:
Instead of "children of Sheth," it is better to read "sons of tumult"; that is, "tumultuous war will be destroyed."
The verse opens with a confession that condemns the speaker. Older translations put its first words in the future — "I shall see him, but not now":
But at the start he is made to speak of his own tragic position: "I shall see Him, but not now; I shall behold Him, but not near." … Balaam's fate will be that of all unbelievers. Believers see the Lord Jesus now by faith. But Balaam had no intention of bowing his heart to Him at the time. So in the future he will see Him, but not near. It will be only in awesome judgment, when he sees Him at the Great White Throne.
Seeing was never the problem. "He thus beheld in vision a glorious Person to whom he could never come near. Distance must be his portion for ever" (W. W. Fereday).
The wording here stops short of something the New Testament adds:
He had been predicted as coming "a Star out of Jacob," without any reference to the morning. As the bright Morning Star, Jesus presents Himself as the One who runs ahead of the coming day and guarantees it. Now Israel does not know Him like this, for it has rejected Him and treated Him as an impostor. The Church, and the Church alone, knows Him in this character.
- Curse — Balaam came to curse. God made the same mouth speak the greatest blessing ever pronounced over His people, reaching to the last days.
- Star — the Star is for watchers, seen by those awake before dawn. It speaks of hope, and our hope is Christ.
- Sceptre — the Sceptre means authority: tumult ended, a King on the throne — "the day of Immanuel," not of David or the Maccabees.
- Person — the earlier oracles looked at the nation; this one narrows to one Man, the King of Israel Himself.
- Distance — Balaam saw Him and stayed far off. Sight without surrender leaves a man watching the glory from outside it.
And Edom shall be a possession, and Seir a possession, -- they, his enemies; but Israel will do valiantly.
Balaam was hired to curse Israel. Instead, his last prophecy describes the day when the Star out of Jacob rises and Israel's enemies lose their land. The verse raises two questions: why name Edom and Seir, and when does this happen?
Edom is not a random target. Edom had already refused to let Israel pass through its land. Commentators tie that refusal to the judgment announced here. (The quote below uses an older translation; the ESV says, "Edom shall be dispossessed.")
And as Balaam foretold long ago, Edom — which in the days of Moses refused to let Israel pass through his border (Num. 20:21) — "will be a possession, Seir also will be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly."
Seir is named next to Edom for a simple reason. It was the land Esau settled in.
Esau had made Seir his home (Gen. 33:16), so it lies close to Edom and Moab. These will be fully brought under Israel's rule.
The previous verse names a Star out of Jacob and a Sceptre out of Israel. This verse tells us what follows, and who wins the victory.
First he sees Him as a star coming out of Jacob. Then he calls Him a sceptre risen out of Israel… Because of this, Edom becomes His possession, and Seir as well. All His enemies are conquered, and Israel stands with the King and does valiantly. It is a very clear prophecy about the Messiah. It points to the time when the kingdom will be restored to Israel. Many teachers of God's Word have made a mistake in applying this prophecy to the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture describes some future victories as God's act alone, with no human army. This one is different.
Israel (that is, the spared remnant) is destined to play an important part in defeating the enemies of God and His people… The destruction of the Western armies described in Revelation 19:19-21, and the overthrow of the armies of Russia and her allies in Ezekiel 39, will happen with no human help at all. But against other foes, God intends to use a delivered Israel.
Yet the strength Israel shows is not Israel's own.
He is the Star out of Jacob, the Sceptre out of Israel. "Israel shall do valiantly" but by His power. Christ alone is before God, as He always was and is.
Some writers also read Edom as a picture of something in us. Esau was Jacob's brother, and that family tie is the point.
The judgment passes on to Edom, the typical enemy of Israel, who… pictures for us the world of the old man — the natural fallen man. He is the most real enemy we have as Christians. He is no less an enemy for being related to us all by nature, just as Edom was the brother of Israel who acted like no brother. His enmity is described here as revenge. He had a quarrel from the beginning — the loss of his birthright-blessing, which he sold for a bowl of stew and has since forgotten.
That raises a question about the coming kingdom: will the old nature be gone by then?
Edom speaks of the flesh, and the flesh then will be put in the place of nothingness. For Israel in the Millennium will not be in the perfect state: the flesh will still be in them, but put under control.
The promise comes at the end of a hard road, not instead of one.
It is not for the false prophet to speak of God's discipline of His people. God would only allow someone who was set on cursing them to speak of their blessing. Yet we know that God had to discipline His beloved people. They will still have to pass through times of dreadful judgment because of their sins. But in the end, they will "do valiantly."
- Curse reversed. Balaam was hired to curse Israel. God let him announce only Israel's blessing.
- King first. Edom and Seir change hands only because the Sceptre has risen; the possession is His before it is Israel's.
- Then the nation. Other enemies fall by God's hand alone. Here God uses the spared remnant, and its courage comes from His power.
- Then the flesh. Edom, the brother who acted like no brother, pictures the old nature. God will hold it under control, not make friends with it.
- Then the end. Discipline comes first, blessing last. Commentators place this prophecy in the coming kingdom, not at Christ's first coming.
And one out of Jacob shall have dominion, and will destroy out of the city what remaineth.
Balaam's last message ends not with a curse but with a coming Ruler. Commentators press two questions here: who is this Ruler, and how will He rule?
Balaam took money to curse Israel. The opposite came out of his mouth, and one writer explains why.
God used the false prophet Balaam to declare His mind. He also forced the High Priest of Israel, who was plotting the death of Jesus, to say that He would die for the nation (John 11:51). Balaam would gladly have cursed Israel, but twice over God made him speak the word He put in his mouth. The third time, when Balaam tried to escape God, "The Spirit of God came upon him" and made him bless. In his fourth parable, Balaam prophesies about Christ's coming as "a star out of Jacob, and a scepter … out of Israel."
In an earlier speech Balaam described the nation. Here he sees one person, and one writer warns against placing the fulfilment too early.
After this introduction he says again that he sees Him and looks on Him. But not now, and not near. We remember that in the first parable he said, from the top of the rocks, "I see him and from the hills I behold him." There it was the nation. Here it is a person: the King of Israel, whose shout he had heard before among that wonderful people… This is a very clear prophecy about the Messiah. It points to the time when God will restore the kingdom to Israel. Many teachers of God's Word have made a mistake here. They apply this prophecy to the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ… Balaam says, "Out of Jacob one has dominion and destroys what is left from the city." These words refer to His reign and rule in the coming age.
One writer tests the word "dominion" against the idea that Christ's kingdom is only inward and spiritual.
That this points to the rule of Christ is obvious. But in what sense does His first coming, or the Church, fulfil it? If words have any meaning, the dominion here spoken of is not spiritual but earthly — not brought in by persuasion, but by power.
Commentators differ on what "the city" means. One takes it as human society organised for its own strength.
Whatever city this means, the large fellowship it stands for will be destroyed. People want their cities to find strength in unity. But corruption thrives in men's cities, and the Lord Jesus will destroy all this.
Another links it to Cain's city, and sets a very different city against it.
"For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet" (1 Cor. 15:25). Cain built his city after he murdered his brother, and after he "went out from the presence of Jehovah." But destruction will fall on "him that remains of the city." Yet there is another city, not built by man. Abraham, the friend of God, looked for it — "the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (Heb. 11:10).
The Ruler comes out of Jacob, and Jacob does not just watch. One writer separates the victories God wins alone from those He wins through His people.
Rev. 19:19-21 describes the destruction of the Western armies, and Ezek. 39 the overthrow of the hordes of Russia and her allies. God will do both without any human help. But against other enemies He intends to use a delivered Israel… "out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remains of the city." Israel's armies will be unstoppable, led on by Christ, who will then indeed be "a man of war" (Ex. 15:3; Ps. 45:3-5).
Verse 19 sounds like a closing line. Three short additions follow, and the first one looks at Amalek.
Balaam's words in Num. 24:19 seem to be final. What more could be added to the statement that "out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion," and destroy even the remnants of His people's enemies? But the Spirit of God had still more to say in three short additions… "Amalek was the first of the nations, but in the end he will perish forever." Ancient fame may look wonderful to men, but it will count for nothing when God arises in His might.
- Compelled — the man paid to curse ends up announcing the King. God can make even an unwilling mouth serve His purpose.
- Person — the earlier speech saw the nation; this one sees a Man, the King of Israel, "not now" and "not near."
- Power — the dominion promised is earthly and enforced, not a rule brought in by persuasion.
- City — what man builds for himself falls, whether that means human society or Cain's city. The city with foundations is God's.
- People — the delivered nation shares in the victory, but only when led by the One who comes out of Jacob.
And he saw Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, Amalek is the first of the nations, but his latter end shall be for destruction.
Balaam's last words turn from Israel's future to the nations nearby. The first he names is Amalek. The title he gives them sounds like a compliment. The sentence that follows is total ruin.
What does that title mean? One writer reads it as a matter of timing — who struck first at God's people after they left Egypt:
Here we read of Amalek's unprovoked attack on Israel, just as they had escaped from the power of Pharaoh. Through Samuel we learn what Moses did not tell us in Exodus 17: that "he lay in wait for him," like a serpent lurking in the road. For this cowardly attempt to destroy His people, the LORD swore that He would have war with Amalek "from generation to generation." Balaam, in his prophecy, calls them "the first among the nations." That probably means they were the first of the desert tribes to attack the people of God as they traveled to the land of promise. But their end, he says, is utter destruction.
Balaam does not explain the judgment; earlier Scripture does. The charge rests on how Amalek chose its targets.
The reason for this severe judgment lies in Exodus 17, where the LORD says, "I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven," and in Deuteronomy 25, where Moses says, "Remember what Amalek did to you… how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God." Exalted as the first among the nations, Amalek now faces the sentence of utter destruction, and it seems God has already carried it out.
Amalek was an old and famous name. Balaam's verdict says what that is worth:
When Balaam looked on Amalek, "he took up his discourse and said, 'Amalek was the first among the nations, but its end is utter destruction.'" Ancient prestige, however wonderful it may be in the eyes of men, will count for nothing when God arises in His might.
The verses just after this one name other enemies. Being first or last on the list makes no difference:
So it makes no difference whether the powers are western or eastern, whether the enemies are many or few, what resources they have, or where they come from. Amalek may be the first of the nations, and Asshur may look like the last; yet trouble comes to Asshur and Eber, and "he too shall come to utter destruction." It is the day of Immanuel, not of David or the Maccabees. The LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
One writer traces the sentence through Israel's history to what may be its end:
Moses charged Israel, "When the LORD your God has given you rest… you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget" (verse 19). Samuel recalled the word of God and the charge of Moses, and sent Saul to destroy Amalek… For failing in his mission, through disobedience, Saul lost his kingdom. David, in recovering his wives, whom the Amalekites had taken captive at Ziklag, helped on the destruction of Amalek. This destruction, it would seem, was almost complete when, in the days of Hezekiah, some of the sons of Simeon "struck down the remnant of the Amalekites who had escaped." It may be that Haman and his sons were the last of Amalek.
Commentators differ here. The words quoted earlier put this judgment in "the day of Immanuel," not in the days of David.
Amalek's judgment is heavier than Moab's or Edom's. One writer gives the reason:
However, Israel will bring Moab and Edom under its rule, but Amalek will suffer a more solemn judgment. Though Amalek was first among the nations, he will totally perish, as Exodus 17:14 affirms, "I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." For Amalek symbolizes the lusts of the flesh, which God will not spare.
Read that way, the verse shapes how believers treat the flesh now — and promises its end:
The flesh and its lusts were never to be seen as anything but enemies. There is to be, not constant conflict, but absolute hostility between the people of God and the lusts of the flesh. The time is coming, thank God, when the very name of the flesh, with all its wretched meaning, will be blotted out for the beloved people of God. It will be only a memory of what we once were, and of a grace that has delivered us completely.
- First — Amalek's title points to who struck first at God's people, right after they escaped Egypt.
- Cause — Amalek attacked the faint and weary at the rear, and did not fear God.
- Doom — an ancient name counts for nothing when God arises. Amalek's end is utter destruction.
- Reach — first nation or last empire, east or west, no enemy escapes; the LORD alone is exalted in that day.
- Picture — Amalek stands for the lusts of the flesh: no truce with them now, and one day their very name will be gone for God's people.